311: Former Amazon VP on Character and Leadership

311: Former Amazon VP on Character and Leadership

311: Former Amazon VP on Character and Leadership

Over the course of his career, Ethan Evans reviewed 10,000+ resumes, conducted over 2,500 interviews, and made more than 1,000 hires. He knows a thing or two about finding, onboarding, AND developing the right people.

In this high-energy conversation, Ethan shares the qualities he looked for and the aspects of character he believes are most important for leaders. You’ll find great value in reflecting on the lessons he learned from a big mistake he made at Amazon that got him in trouble with CEO Jeff Bezos.

Ethan is a former Vice President at Amazon. During his 15 years there, he helped invent many of the offerings that we take for granted today, like Prime Video, Amazon Video, and the Amazon App Store. Prior to Amazon, Ethan spent 12 years at 3 startups.

In September of 2020, Ethan retired from Amazon and made the decision to pay it forward. He devotes time teaching leaders to become true executives through courses he offers and free content he provides on LinkedIn and his website.

You’ll discover:

  • How Ethan added to the Amazon Leadership Principle of Ownership
  • What Ethan looks for when interviewing a candidate or considering someone for a promotion
  • The five steps in Ethan’s Magic Loop for managing up
  • What leaders can do to build trust quickly
  • A big mistake Ethan made at Amazon and the lessons he learned from it

Watch the episode:

 

Connect with Ethan

  

Ethan’s Website

Ethan Evans

Related Podcast Episodes

302: Becoming a Generous Leader

 

Connect with Your Team

Mastering the Top 10 Communication Skills

Order from Amazon

Peer Coaching Made Simple

How to Do the 6 Things That Matter Most When Helping Someone Improve a Skill

Order from Amazon
309: Coaching at the Intersection of Love, Language, and Leadership

309: Coaching at the Intersection of Love, Language, and Leadership

309: Coaching at the Intersection of Love, Language, and Leadership

Have you thought about how your words create you and your world? No matter what you answer, Trevor Timbeck will help you gain a better understanding of this power we all have if we choose to use it well.

Trevor co-authored The Power of Systems with Steve Chandler. You’ll recognize the book and Steve’s name from episode 300 of the podcast. In this episode, we discussed the book and how it ties in with who you are BEING and what you’re CREATING in the world.

Trevor is an absolutely remarkable human being, with important insights not just on the power of systems, but on life itself. You’re going to want to give this your full attention because you’ll hear many valuable ideas to reflect on.

Trevor has a deep technical background and started his career as a software engineer. He was promoted to leadership roles and eventually became head of Sales and then Chief Talent Officer with a large IT company. Today Trevor is a very successful leadership coach.

You’ll discover:

  • Significant lessons Trevor learned in his leadership journey
  • How Trevor weaves together love, language, and leadership when coaching his clients
  • What he learned from his first coach that transformed the way he led
  • The difference between language as coordinating behavior and language as communicating information
  • Why Trevor says our words create our world

Watch the episode:

Connect with Trevor

      

Trevor’s Resources

Website

Trevor Timbeck

Book

The Power of Systems: How to Create a Life that Works

Related Podcast Episodes

302: Becoming a Generous Leader

 

Connect with Your Team

Mastering the Top 10 Communication Skills

Order from Amazon

Peer Coaching Made Simple

How to Do the 6 Things That Matter Most When Helping Someone Improve a Skill

Order from Amazon
307: Leading People Who Are Not Like You with ALLY Leadership

307: Leading People Who Are Not Like You with ALLY Leadership

307: Leading People Who Are Not Like You with ALLY Leadership

Leading people who aren’t like you can be challenging. In this episode, Stephanie Chung provides important insights and tips to help you be more effective in this critical area. You will love the passion and stories she brings to our conversation.

For the past 30 years, Stephanie has been a force of strategic innovation, a beacon of change, and a titan in the world of business growth and human capital management.  

Stephanie blazed trails as the first African American to serve as President at a private jet company. Under her visionary leadership, JetSuite evolved from a mere service provider to a symbol of luxury and excellence. During her tenure, JetSuite was named one of the Best Places To Work by the Human Rights Campaign and one of the 100 Fastest Growing Private Companies by the Dallas Business Journal. From there, she became Chief Growth Officer and Global Brand Ambassador at Wheels Up.

Stephanie’s impact extends far beyond the boardroom. She serves on the Make-A-Wish Board and the Advisory Council for the National Business Aviation Association. Stephanie is also a #1 international best-selling author with her excellent book, Ally Leadership: How to Lead People Who Are Not Like You.

You’ll discover:

  • What the acronym ALLY stands for
  • How to meet people where they are
  • What to do if you don’t like someone on your team
  • Why the most effective leaders are “culturally intelligent”
  • The various kinds of privilege that exist and how to leverage yours

Watch the episode:

Connect with Stephanie

      

Stephanie’s Resources

Website

Stephanie Chung

Book

Ally Leadership: How to Lead People Who Are Not Like You

Related Podcast Episodes

149: Becoming a Highly Effective Leader

 

Connect with Your Team

Mastering the Top 10 Communication Skills

Order from Amazon

Peer Coaching Made Simple

How to Do the 6 Things That Matter Most When Helping Someone Improve a Skill

Order from Amazon
306: How Parents Can Raise Future Leaders Today

306: How Parents Can Raise Future Leaders Today

306: How Parents Can Raise Future Leaders Today

Here’s a startling statistic. Harvard published the results of a survey of 17,000 managers, and one of the questions asked was this: When did you experience your first formal leadership training? The average age was 42.

What would happen if we started with children instead of waiting until someone is so far into their career? You don’t have to wonder what would happen because our guest, Dr. Alan Nelson, has focused on teaching leadership to young people for almost 20 years.

Alan is the Founder of KidLead Academy, the world’s first online course to train parents how to develop their child’s leadership potential. Alan has been passionate about leadership throughout his career.

Alan is the author of 40 books and over 200 articles on personal growth and leadership. He has a doctorate in leadership from the University of San Diego and has taught leadership courses at several universities, including USC’s Marshall School of Business and the Naval Postgraduate School.

In this conversation, we focused on his book for parents, My Kid Leads! A How-to Book for Parents Wanting to Raise Future Leaders Today. Highly recommended!

You’ll discover:

  • The answer to the question of whether leaders are made or born
  • Why Alan says the sweet spot for teaching leadership to kids is ages 10-13
  • The 4 primary indicators of giftedness in leadership in both children and adults
  • What parents can do to help their children develop self-control and critical thinking skills
  • How Alan uses peer-led teams in his programs to teach leadership and followership

Watch the episode:

Connect with Alan

    

Alan’s Resources

Websites

KidLead

KidLead Academy

Lead Young Training

Book

My Kid Leads! A How-to book for Parents Wanting to Raise Future Leaders Today 

Connect with Your Team

Mastering the Top 10 Communication Skills

Order from Amazon

Peer Coaching Made Simple

How to Do the 6 Things That Matter Most When Helping Someone Improve a Skill

Order from Amazon
305: A Flooded Road Released a Flood of Emotions

305: A Flooded Road Released a Flood of Emotions

305: A Flooded Road Released a Flood of Emotions

Have you ever lost your cool when you encountered something unexpected?

In this solo episode, I describe a situation where I witnessed someone who became emotional and took it out on me.

Thankfully, I recognized that she was simply unable to think rationally in the moment, and I didn’t take it personally.

I’m the co-founder and president of Grow Strong Leaders. We’ve created online resources that help leaders strengthen their character and communication skills to build strong relationships and inspire others to perform at the highest level.

You’ll discover:

  • The event that triggered this person’s reaction
  • What I realized about the feelings she was experiencing
  • How I handled the uncertainty of the moment
  • The lessons I took away from that incident
  • Two questions you can ask yourself when you feel fear or uncertainty

Watch the episode:

Connect with Meredith

      

Meredith’s Resources

Website

Grow Strong Leaders

Books

Connect with Your Team: Mastering the Top 10 Communication Skills

Peer Coaching Made Simple

Related Podcast Episodes

038: Why Emotional Intelligence Matters

 

Connect with Your Team

Mastering the Top 10 Communication Skills

Order from Amazon

Peer Coaching Made Simple

How to Do the 6 Things That Matter Most When Helping Someone Improve a Skill

Order from Amazon
304: A Young Leader’s Journey of Modern Achievement

304: A Young Leader’s Journey of Modern Achievement

304: A Young Leader’s Journey of Modern Achievement

If you’ve been in leadership development for a long time, you’re in for a treat with this episode. Our guest, Howard Leong, is the youngest person to appear on the podcast! Don’t let his youth fool you. He is wise beyond his years in his understanding of leadership and personal growth. Howard has been mentored by Asheesh Advani, CEO of Junior Achievement or JA Worldwide, and you’ll see that he’s absorbed key lessons from this extraordinary leader.

Howard is featured in a new book that Asheesh co-authored with Marshall Goldsmith, Modern Achievement: A New Approach to Timeless Lessons for Aspiring Leaders. In this conversation, we explore the experiences and lessons learned that Howard shares in the book.

Howard is the Research Strategist at JA Worldwide and is currently building The JA Institute. He’s a college senior specializing in Econometrics and Machine Learning with four years of experience in software product management and international economic development.

Howard was awarded the Global Student Prize in 2021 from JA for building an online marketplace, JA Malaysia Mall, for high school entrepreneurs. In just two months, it fulfilled over 1,000 orders. He also built an investment app that received The Webby Award Honoree 2024. Howard has consulted the City of Calgary on economics, AI, and electricity rates.

You’ll discover:

  • The messages Howard got from his family growing up in Malaysia and changes he felt compelled to make after leaving home
  • What the phrase, Modern Achievement, means to Asheesh and what it means to Howard
  • Ways Howard learned to advocate for himself—and the payoffs he got from doing so
  • What employers need to know about working with young adults
  • Tips for young employees who want to have a positive impact

Watch the episode:

 

Connect with Howard

Howard’s Resources

Website

Howard Leong

Book

Featured in Modern Achievement: A New Approach to Timeless Lessons for Aspiring Leaders

Related Podcast Episodes

109: How Junior Achievement (JA) Worldwide Is Developing Future Leaders

Connect with Your Team

Mastering the Top 10 Communication Skills

Order from Amazon

Peer Coaching Made Simple

How to Do the 6 Things That Matter Most When Helping Someone Improve a Skill

Order from Amazon